


The Courtship of Tenpou Gensui

by MistressRenet



Category: Saiyuki Gaiden
Genre: Bad Poetry, Courtship Gifts, First Time, Jossed, M/M, Meet-Cute, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-10-31
Updated: 2004-10-31
Packaged: 2018-10-17 21:46:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10602891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressRenet/pseuds/MistressRenet
Summary: Kenren knows exactly what he wants. Tenpou resists, for a while.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written before I read the parts in Gaiden where Tenpou and Kenren, you know, _met._
> 
> Great betas begin with "T"-- thanks to Toscas_Kiss and Tiggy Malvern for their hard work on this. "She" pronouns for Kanezon for no particular reason other than one had to be picked.

Tenpou was reading when the knock came at the door. He reluctantly swiveled his chair around, re-arranged the paperwork on his desk, and started doing it. "Yes?"

Someone came in and closed the door. "Kenren Taishou, Captain of the Western Army, reporting for duty."

Tenpou glanced up long enough to register dark hair, a bared chest and self-satisfied grin. He looked back down at his paperwork. "Very well. Thank you for checking in, you're dismissed."

"That's all?" Kenren was standing too close to his desk.

Tenpou took the cigarette out of his mouth and stubbed it out in the ashtray. "Yes, that's all. Why did you bother reporting in person, anyway? Surely--"

"Wanted to see my superior officer," Kenren said. Smooth as silk and cocky as hell. Tenpou was irritated already.

"You've seen me," he snapped. "Now can we both return to work?"

"You sure you don't want to take a look at me?"

He'd heard rumors about Kenren. Tenpou stopped writing and drew his breath in. He glanced at Kenren over the top of his glasses. "You are aware of the penalties for insubordination?"

"I've been demoted before. Probably will be again." Kenren smirked.

"You've met very few people you couldn't seduce, I assume?"

"You want me to leave you to your work, I assume?"

Tenpou returned to his writing.

"As you desire," Kenren said.

Tenpou took pains not to look up again until the door closed.

**

Two days later, Tenpou received a gift.

Two fall plums, so ripe he could smell them the second he lifted the rice paper. They were lovely, and no doubt sweet.

A note was placed delicately inside the package. Tenpou lifted it and read:

_You're right; there have_  
been very few.  
But the world stops  
when you look at me  
so I'd rather not fail. 

Tenpou frowned. Kenren, of course. A liberty, and an annoying one.

Still, the fruit looked wonderful.

He took one to Konzen Douji, who of course didn't deign to thank him, ate the second (which was indeed delicious), and put Kenren out of his mind.

**

Two months later there was unrest in the far West.

Kenren's army moved brilliantly; the General's reputation for quick thinking had been well earned.

Tenpou watched Kenren at the triumphal parade. He didn't smirk, for a change, just looked humble, noble, and altogether fitting and appropriate for his station. Even then there was something wild, something feral about him, and Tenpou found himself staring, admiring the man's grace, the easy way he stood. They caught each other's eyes as Kenren passed, just for a second. Kenren winked; Tenpou grimaced.

The next morning, there was a gift waiting on his desk chair.

Two packs of cigarettes. Kenren had taken care to choose his brand.

_Kanzeon Bosatsu smiled at me_  
when I passed the podium  
but all I could see was your eyes. 

He scowled and got out his official stationery.

_No more poetry._

The reply came within an hour.

_That's all right, I suck at it anyway._

To his own surprise, Tenpou laughed.

**

The subsequent months brought more gifts; cigarettes, fruit, sweets, trinkets from Kenren's travels. There was the occasional note, but no further poetry. It was tolerable, so Tenpou did his best to ignore it. He shared the occasional gift with Konzen, gave most of the trinkets away, and smoked the cigarettes. He was busy; he didn't think much about it.

Certainly he didn't think much about the General, the way his eyes flashed, the sensual, almost cruel set of his mouth. If Tenpou did think of him, he was concerned with his unpredictablilty, the way he threw people off their stride at meetings and once made even Kanzeon Bosatsu lift an eyebrow in surprise.

People like that could be trouble, and it was Tenpou's job to make sure that Kenren was only trouble for the people that he, Tenpou Gensui, wanted him to be trouble for.

They exchanged formal correspondence, Tenpou giving gentle reminders, Kenren twisting the orders to his own ends and Tenpou's growing amusement. The disobedience was never outright and the results were good, so Tenpou saw no reason to complain. Too many in the Army were so cowed they obeyed orders without question or thought; Kenren's creativity was refreshing.

One day Tenpou came back from lunch with Konzen and found a package taking up most of his desk. The package was thick; he unwrapped the paper and saw a book. It was from the West. It explored courtship, love, and sexual positions, the last in great detail.

Kenren's note was toward the back, marking a page on an activity Tenpou was not entirely sure was physically possible.

_There's something really wild in you. I want to see it._

Tenpou got his official stationery out again.

_No more gifts._

Kenren was travelling, so the reply took several weeks this time.

_What would you accept from me?_

Tenpou stared at the note, wondering what the answer was.

_Do your job,_ he finally wrote. _Do it well._

It was almost another month before he received the reply.

_Fair enough. Let me know if you change your mind._

"I won't," he said, but there was no one in his office to hear.

**

There was a festival the week after the Western army returned. He heard laughter like honey in his mind and turned to see Kenren, a half-dressed woman on each arm. Kenren nodded his head in recognition and turned his attention back to the women.

The note the next morning said simply, _I'd rather be in your bed._

Tenpou tore it up in disgust.

There were no further notes.

Kenren did his job, and did it well, and if sometimes he turned inquiring or flirtatious eyes on Tenpou, the Marshal did his best to ignore it.

**

On the first day of fall, Kanzeon Bosatsu left a ripe plum on everyone's desk with a note of her own:

_Desire is the tart skin of the plum.  
Fulfillment is the sweetness beneath._

Tenpou took a bite and wondered if the message was just for him, or if there were other subordinates she wanted to torment.

He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the flavor, thinking of that first day, of Kenren and his idiot smirk and the way his body moved under the black leather and silk he favored.

When he opened his eyes he was staring at one of the few gifts he'd kept, a tiny dragon crafted in silver so fine it was almost white.

He dropped the plum and walked out the door.

He followed the byzantine hallways to the Generals' offices, found Kenren's and walked in.

He closed the door and locked it in one motion. If anyone had been in the office with Kenren, Tenpou might have thrown the fool out the window, but the General was alone, perched on his desk, looking out at the sky. The office smelled a little like perfume; a woman's, certainly.

That would have to end.

"Kenren Taishou, Captain of the Western Army," Tenpou said.

Kenren didn't bother to hide his surprise. No one in Heaven, _no one,_ went to their subordinates' offices; they sent messengers or pissy notes or just waited for you to show up at their desks. He got up, slowly stretched to attention. "Yes?"

"This has gone on long enough."

Kenren frowned. "What? I didn't--"

Tenpou crossed the distance between them, and Kenren's breath was hot in his mouth.

Kenren's eyes widened as Tenpou kissed him, shoving him against his desk, and only widened more as Tenpou's hands reached down to unclasp the belt that held his jacket closed.

The General leaned back over the desk, and let Tenpou wrestle with the skull clasp over his chest. "I knew it," he growled under his breath. "Knew you'd be fucking wild. _Wanted_ you..."

"Shut up," Tenpou snapped, and Kenren kissed him this time, and it was raw and needy.

Tenpou pushed Kenren's jacket past his shoulders, crushing heavy silk back against the desk, savoring the feel of muscle under his hands. Kenren's hands came up, caught in his hair, dislodging a pen he'd forgotten was there; Kenren made a primal, growling sound, rough and harsh against Tenpou's throat.

Tenpou struggled with the chains on the jacket. Kenren chuckled.

Tenpou cursed, gave up, spun Kenren around. Kenren unhooked the chains and let his jacket drop as Tenpou unzipped his pants.

_Fulfillment is the sweetness beneath,_ Tenpou thought, and pulled Kenren's pants down.

Kenren's breath was fast and rough and he smelled like musk and sake.

And he wasn't wearing any underwear.

He was _perfect,_ muscular ass, strong thighs, cock good-sized and hard under his hand. Tenpou rubbed his thumb over the slit of Kenren's cock and coated the tip with precome. Kenren grunted approval, and Tenpou unzipped his own fly. Kenren was hot and dangerous and perfect, and he needed in. _Now._

"Hey," Kenren said, bent further over the desk, opened up a drawer. "Hold on."

Kenren fumbled in the drawer as Tenpou drew a hand down the perfect curve of his ass.

Kenren shuddered. "Hold _on,"_ " he protested again, and Tenpou slid a finger between the cheeks, pressed in.

"Even I'm not this-- here." Kenren reached back and pressed a flask into his hand.

Tenpou slicked his fingers with the lubricant. The flask was only half-full; no real surprise. He reached out, reached _in,_ and smiled a little as Kenren squirmed onto his fingers.

"Yeah," Kenren panted. "That's good--"

Tenpou's world had narrowed to this room, this desk, this body. He pressed in and up and--

"Fuck, yeah," Kenren said. "Yeah--"

_There._

He drew his fingers out slowly and Kenren whimpered. Oh _yes_ \--

"Aw, _baby._ " Kenren pushed his hips back; Tenpou stilled him with his palm. "Come _on,_ come on--"

Tenpou pushed Kenren further over the desk, and Kenren grabbed the edges with his still-gloved hands.

"C'mon," Kenren's growl made Tenpou harder still. "Do it hard, I can take it--"

"Are you sure?" Tenpou smiled as he positioned himself.

"Sure you can _do_ it?" Kenren asked, and Tenpou slammed into his body in reply, drove in to his balls and stayed there for a moment.

Kenren _gasped._ Kenren was far tighter than he should be, given his reputation, and that was a pleasant surprise, to say the least. Tenpou drew out slowly, carefully, listening to the tiny pants of Kenren's breath. He pushed in again and Kenren groaned; he could see the General's fingers tightening on the desk.

Tenpou tried to hold himself back; it was so tempting to _move,_ to feel Kenren's body reacting to his, pushing back, arching underneath him. He pushed in, a little deeper, a little harder.

"Fuck," Kenren said, "yeah, c'mon--"

"You're sure?"

"Marshal," Kenren said, "next time ask _before_ you're balls-deep in my ass?"

Tenpou almost laughed.

"Come _on,"_ Kenren said, and Tenpou moved, hard and fast, and it felt _good._ Kenren's breath was coming faster still, and soon there was nothing but Kenren's body against him, surrounding him, and he found a ragged sort of rhythm as they fucked, fast and pounding and relentless. Kenren moaned and shifted beneath him, urging him on.

When he came it was like a flash of lightning, something gathering up and then _snapping,_ and he thrust a few more times through the aftershocks. He reached down and found Kenren's cock, jacked it a few times, felt Kenren shudder with orgasm.

He closed his eyes for just a second and rested his face against Kenren's back. They stayed like that for a moment, both sweating and sticky and breathless. Then Tenpou moved back a few inches, removed himself and sat carefully in front of Kenren's desk. The General, with far fewer concerns for propriety or dignity, collapsed half-naked beside him.

"I'm glad you kiss," Kenren said, and took two cigarettes from the pack on his desk.

"Was it worth the pursuit?" Tenpou asked.

Kenren leaned over and kissed him, _tasted_ him, made it long and deep and lasting. "I don't know," he said, when they parted. "Think I'll have to try it a couple more times. Just to be sure." He found his lighter and lit both cigarettes, passed one to Tenpou. "That all right with you?"

Tenpou took the cigarette but grimaced slightly at the unfamiliar taste. "That's fine."

"And your office is a lot bigger than mine." Kenren blew a lazy smoke ring into the air and hitched his pants up.

"True enough."

"You keep the book?"

Tenpou rolled his eyes. "I kept the book."

Kenren leaned back and just _smiled,_ not cocky for once, just...very pleased. "You think anybody could actually do that?"

"I suppose you'd like to find out?"

"Maybe." He slid seductive eyes over to Tenpou. "I ever get to top?"

"Maybe."

**

The next morning, there was a gift on Tenpou's disk; an extremely large bottle of sandalwood-scented lubricant. The note was from Kanzeon Bosatsu:

_About time._

Tenpou rolled his eyes.

But he kept the bottle. He suspected he would need it. 


End file.
